50 greatest Allman Brothers Band songs

Wade Tatangelo, Sarasota Herald Tribune

Thursday

Mar 21, 2019 at 7:24 AM

On the way to being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and collecting a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, The Allman Brothers Band delivered some of the most explosive live shows ever captured on tape.

Those performances, though, heard on recording such as the masterful “At Fillmore East” double album, wouldn’t have been nearly as memorable without a collection of original songs and brilliantly revamped blues numbers.

In celebration of the Allman Brothers Band’s 50th anniversary on Tuesday, we complied a list of their 50 greatest songs.

Here they are, presented in roughly chronological order, including some solo tracks by Gregg Allman and Dickey Betts that appear on the best-selling Allman Brothers Band box set “Dreams.”

My playlist, “50 greatest Allman Brothers Band songs,” which runs about six hours, can be heard on Spotify.

“It’s Not My Cross To Bear” from “The Allman Brothers Band” (1969)

The Allman Brothers Band’s self-titled debut album opens with an instrumental version of the Spencer Davis Group song “Don’t Want You No More,” spotlighting the guitar playing of Duane Allman and Dickey Betts, followed by the Gregg Allman original “It’s Not My Cross To Bear”: a mighty blues delivered with a lived-in beauty that belies the fact that Gregg was merely 21 at the time of its recording. In concert, these two songs would always be played together over the years, most often opening shows.

“Trouble No More” (1969)

Gregg Allman recalls this Muddy Waters tune, which was given a fresh arrangement, as the first song he sang during the jam session in Jacksonville that marks the beginning of the Allman Brothers Band.

“Dreams” (1969)

Influenced by John Coltrane’s rendition of “My Favorite Things,” “Dreams” features some of Gregg Allman’s finest singing and songwriting as well as one of Duane Allman’s most fluid and influential slide guitar solos.

“Dimples” (live, recorded in 1970)

While not in possession of his baby brother’s golden voice, Duane Allman could definitely sing the blues, as is apparent on this rowdy live cover of the John Lee Hooker chestnut.

“Revival” (1970)

Dickey Betts’ first writing credit for the Allman Brothers, this song featuring Gregg Allman on lead vocals again stands as one of their most life-affirming (“love is everywhere” goes the chorus) and the band’s first to crack the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

“Midnight Rider” (1970)

Gregg Allman’s rebellious road anthem first appeared on the Allman Brothers’ “Idlewild South” album and then he re-recorded it several years later for his “Laid Back” solo LP and it became a Top 20 hit.

“Hoochie Coochie Man” (1970)

The only studio track to feature bassist Berry Oakley on lead vocals, Oakley and Dickey Betts came up with this revved-up rendition of the Muddy Waters song while in their pre-Allman Brothers group Second Coming that also included Sarasota area residents Larry “Rhino” Reinhardt and Reese Wynans.

“Please Call Home” (1970)

This plaintive Gregg Allman ballad would resurface in on his solo album “Laid Back” alongside new originals as well as the hit remake of “Midnight Rider.”

“Statesboro Blues” (live, 1971)

Duane Allman enjoyed the arrangement and slide playing of the version on Taj Mahal’s self-titled 1968 debut album and worked up a similar take of the Blind Willie McTell original for “Idlewild South,” which didn’t make that release, but became a live staple for the Allman Brothers. Most famously, it’s the opening track on “At Fillmore East.”

“You Don’t Love Me” (live, 1971)

The Allman Brothers based their version of this Willie Cobb tune on Junior Wells’ recording, “but we swung it,” Betts told me. “The drummers could swing it. That’s what made a cool feeling to a lot of tunes we did.”

“Hot ‘Lanta’” (live, 1971)

A jazzy, hard-charging instrumental credited to the entire Allman Brothers’ original band lineup, “Hot ‘Lanta’” debuted on “At Fillmore East” and was resurrected this past year by the Dickey Betts Band and will appear on their upcoming live CD/DVD “Rambling Man: The Dickey Betts Band Live at the St George Theater” due out in June.

“In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed” (live, 1971)

An elegant and innovative instrumental composed by Betts, it first appeared in truncated form on “Idlewild South” (Betts’ least favorite version) and is best known from the 13-minute performance heard on “At Fillmore East.” “What I love about that song is if you have a bunch of top-shelf players, they can express themselves beautifully in that song, once they learn it,” Betts told me.

“Whipping Post” (live, 1971)

Gregg Allman’s greatest achievement as a songwriter (with key contributions by bassist Berry Oakley on the arrangement), the 23-minute version of “Whipping Post” heard on “At Fillmore East” remains the definitive rock epic. It’s a timeless lyric of heartbreak delivered perfectly by Gregg, with Duane and Dickey trading some of the most emotive guitar licks ever captured on record.

“Mountain Jam” (live, 1972)

First heard on “Eat a Peach” at just over 30 minutes and later at about 45 minutes on the outstanding “Live at Ludlow Garage: 1970″ reissue, this “jam” based on Donovan’s “There Is a Mountain” never devolves into the kind of noodling too often employed by other jam bands over the years. All the members solo but then there’s always a discernible melody, quoting Jimi Hendrix’s “Third Stone from the Sun” and most poignantly, the gospel chestnut “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” before bringing it back to the original theme.

“One Way Out” (live, 1972)

Another great example of drummers Butch Trucks and Jaimoe making a blues song swing (this one originally released by Sonny Boy Williamson II and Elmore James), this version is also notable for Duane’s propulsive slide playing.

“Blue Sky” (1972)

The first Allman Brothers song with Betts singing lead is also one of the band’s most beautiful and, alas, one of the last recordings to feature the dual guitar greatness of Betts and Duane Allman, which perhaps never sounded sweeter than when they intertwine throughout this recording.

“Little Martha” (1972)

The only Allman Brothers song composed solely by Duane Allman, “Little Martha” features a delightful melody and two minutes of just Duane and Dickey picking on acoustic guitars.

“Melissa” (1972)

One of the first songs Gregg wrote, about being lovesick on the road, it was a favorite of Duane’s that Gregg performed at his big brother’s funeral and included a lovely version on “Eat a Peach.”

“Ain’t Wastin’ Time No More” (1972)

Gregg copes with the loss of his brother on this song of perseverance that also features Betts playing gorgeous slide guitar licks in Duane’s absence. Appearing as the opening track on “Eat a Peach,” it would prove instrumental in reminding the public that the Allman Brothers were soldiering on in the face of tragedy.

“Wasted Words” (1973)

Fun, funky number about the “wasted words” exchanged at the end of a relationship Gregg sounds ready to be leaving, posthaste.

“Ramblin’ Man” (1973)

This irresistible, country-rock road song written and sung by Betts reached No. 1 on the U.S. Cashbox Top 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s the only Allman Brothers single to crack the Top 10 on the pop charts. “I was going to send ‘Ramblin’ Man’ to Johnny Cash,” Betts told me. “I thought it was a great song for him. But everybody in our band liked that song. Even my dad liked the song, before we recorded it or anything.”

“Come and Go Blues” (1973)

Swampy blues sets the tone for Gregg pledging his love to a woman who can’t make up her mind about him. He also recorded a version of the song for his 1977 solo album “Playin’ Up a Storm.”

“Long Time Gone” (1974)

The charming country-rocker from Betts’ solo debut album “Highway Call” that he performed with the Allman Brothers during their ’75 tour also appears on the Allman Brothers’ 1989 “Dreams” box set.

“Win, Lose or Draw” (1975)

A touching breakup ballad that recalls the songs Gregg wrote and recorded for his solo masterpiece “Laid Back.”

“High Falls” (1975)

One of Betts’ most accomplished, enduring and evolving instrumentals — he opened his show with a spellbinding version of it at Sarasota’s Robarts Arena in 2013 — “High Falls” is also the longest studio recording on any Allman Brothers album, clocking in at over 14 minutes. It appears, as well, at about twice that length on the Allman Brothers’ 2000 live album “Peakin’ at the Beacon,” earning a Grammy nomination.

“Southbound” (live, 1976)

Originating as a charging, boogie number Dickey Betts wrote for Gregg Allman to sing on “Brothers and Sisters,” this live version from the underrated 1976 live double album “Wipe The Windows, Check The Oil, Dollar Gas” features added verve and shows why it would remain a concert favorite over the years for the Allman Brothers as well as Betts’ and Gregg Allman’s solo bands.

“Can’t Lose What You Never Had” (live, 1976)

Another smartly arranged Muddy Waters cover with Gregg Allman on vocals, the Allman Brothers included it on their “Win, Lose or Draw” album with this rollicking rendition culled from “Wipe the Windows, Check the Oil, Dollar Gas.”

“Crazy Love” (1979)

Betts sings a sexually-charged lead with equally lusty backing vocals by Bonnie Bramlett on this song that became an important Top 40 hit for the newly reformed Allman Brothers featuring “Dangerous” Dan Toler sharing lead guitar duties with Betts following his time in Betts’ solo group Great Southern.

“Can’t Take It With You” (1979)

Penned by Betts and his buddy Don Johnson (yes, that Don Johnson) for Gregg Allman to sing, this boogie-blues hit the airwaves following “Crazy Love.”

“Just Ain’t Easy” (1979)

A song about the perils of hard living, it’s one of Gregg Allman’s most candid and emotive, written while Allman was living in Manatee County. “It’s about defeat and resignation, being on the bottom,” he writes in his autobiography.

“Sail Away” (1979)

You can almost picture Betts sitting on Sarasota Bay with “palm trees swaying in the evening breeze” as he sings about a woman who got away.

“I Got a Right to Be Wrong” (1980)

Betts wrote and sang this fun tune included on the 1980 album “Reach for the Sky” that’s a lot better than many critics would have you believe. Hank Williams Jr. then included a version of the song on his hit album “Rowdy” released in ’81.

“Nancy” (early 1980s)

This hidden gem featuring one of Betts’ best vocals is from an unreleased country album called “Night” he recorded with Nashville producer Chips Moman between 1980 and ’82. This version came to light on the Allman Brothers box set “Dreams.”

“I’m No Angel” (1987)

Gregg Allman’s surprise 1987 solo hit, goosed by a great solo by “Dangerous” Dan Toler, became a part of the Allman Brothers set during their comeback tour two years later in support of the “Dreams” box set, on which the song also appears.

“Demons” (1988)

Gregg Allman wrote this song here in Manatee County with bandmates Dan and sibling David “Frankie” Toler for Allman’s 1988 solo album “Just Before the Bullets Fly.” “I wrote a lot of stuff around there, on Anna Maria Island, sitting on my dock,” Allman told me. “I wrote most of the stuff from ‘I’m No Angel’ and ‘Just Before the Bullets Fly’ when I lived on Bradenton Beach.”

“Duane’s Tune” (1988)

Betts composed this cinematic instrumental named after his bandmate and son for his 1988 solo album “Pattern Disruptive,” which features future Allman Brothers Band members Warren Haynes (guitar) and Johnny Neel (keyboards, harmonica).

“Good Clean Fun” (1990)

The Allman Brothers reformed in 1989 following a seven-year hiatus to tour in support of the “Dreams” box set and then returned to the studio with ace producer Tom Dowd and made the “Seven Turns” album. It opens with this bluesy rocker penned by Gregg Allman (on lead vocals), Dickey Betts and new keyboardist/harmonica player Johnny Neel.

“Seven Turns” (1990)

This Dickey Betts original is a striking folk-rocker with a memorable lyric based on the Navajo belief that there are seven times in life that you make a decision that determines your destiny.

“True Gravity” (1990)

Dickey Betts and Warren Haynes co-wrote this instrumental, one of Betts’ personal favorites, that would become a marathon in concert sometimes running 40 minutes. The band also played a much shorter version on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” accompanied by members of The Tonight Show Brass, including Doc Severinsen.

“End of the Line” (1991)

This blues rocker co-written by Gregg Allman, Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody finds the singer (Allman) recounting a life spent on “the boulevard of broken dreams” with slashing guitar work by Dickey Betts and Haynes. The lead track to their album “Shades of Two Worlds,” the track reached No. 2 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart.

“Kind of Bird” (1991)

Dickey Betts and Warren Haynes’ instrumental homage to jazz giant Charlie Parker, Haynes would then perform the song with fellow Allman Brother member Allen Woody (bass) and Matt Abts (drums) in their group Gov’t Mule. (Check out the version appearing on Gov’t Mule’s 1996 album “Live At Roseland Ballroom”).

“Nobody Knows” (live, 1992)

The centerpiece from “Shades of Two Worlds” and given a definitive, 15-minute treatment on the ’92 live album “An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: First Set,” this song includes Betts’ most poetic lyric, one that’s both philosophical and memorable, sung with conviction by Allman with some of Betts’ and Warren Haynes’ most gripping guitar playing.

“Back Where It All Begins” (1994)

The title track of sorts to the Allman Brothers’ final gold-selling album “Where it All Begins” and the band’s final single to make any real impact on the charts, this ebullient song finds Betts again in top form as a songwriter, singer and guitarist both here and on the 12-minute version heard on “An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set.”

“Soulshine” (1994)

For all his contributions to the Allman Brothers as a guitarist and singer in the 1990s and 2000s, Warren Haynes’ songwriting would also prove important, especially on “Soulshine,” a song that would become as beloved as just about any in the band’s catalog. “I had no idea people would connect with it the way they do,” Haynes told me. “For me, it was just something I connected with myself and it talks about my dad a little bit, who was a great role model for me.”

“Change My Way of Living” (1994)

While often noted for bringing country and Western swing elements into the Allman Brothers’ blues, rock and jazz bag, Dickey Betts can also play the blues as well as just about anyone, as can be heard on this song he wrote and sings.

“Jessica” (live, 1995)

The rare instrumental radio hit when it came out on “Brothers and Sisters” in ’73, this 16-minute version of Betts’ song is from the “An Evening with the Allman Brothers Band: 2nd Set” album released a month before the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This rendition of “Jessica” would then earn the band its only competitive Grammy Award.

“Old Before My Time”

A gentle ballad about aging and regrets as touching as any song in the Allman Brothers’ catalogue, Gregg Allman co-wrote this gem with Haynes and sings it with depth and warmth over rich, slide guitar playing by Haynes and Derek Trucks.

“Old Friend”

Chris Anderson (lead guitarist in the Outlaws and now RattleBone) wrote this song with Warren Haynes for Anderson’s 1995 solo album of the same name. Haynes then sang the song, performed acoustically just with Trucks, for the closing track on the Allman Brothers’ final studio album, “Hittin’ the Note,” released in 2003. “I thought it was cool they way they did it,” Anderson told me. “That’s how we wrote it, with acoustic guitars. I had a 12 string and (Haynes) had a regular acoustic guitar. He got back to how it was originally conceived. For ‘Old Friend’ we electrified it but I have that acoustic demo somewhere.”

“Desdemona” (live, 2004)

Written by Allman and Haynes and originally appearing on “Hittin’ the Note,” the song really takes shape on the 2004 live album “One Way out,” especially during the jazzy mid-section, which, like “Dreams,” deftly recalls John Coltrane’s rendition of “My Favorite Things.”

“No One to Run With” (live, 1995)

Originally appearing on the “Where it All Begins,” this song written by Dickey Betts and John Prestia in Sarasota featuring a powerful Bo Diddley-style beat would go on to be a concert favorite for the next two decades, in performances by both the Allman Brothers and Betts’ bands.

I interviewed Dickey Betts, Devon Allman, Duane Betts and Berry Oakley earlier this month for a feature story appearing Sunday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Allman Brothers Band and the launch of new Allman Betts Band. Information from those interviews was used here, along with previous interviews I’ve done with each of them plus Gregg Allman, Butch Trucks, Warren Haynes, Derek Trucks and Dan Toler over the years.

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